Work out with kettlebells

Enthusiast teaches others how to get a big exercise boost using a small, ball-shaped tool

Pavel Stejskal, a local kettlebell instructor, says doing a workout with the small exercise tool can kick your butt (and save you some time).

Beth Beasley/Special to the Times-News

By BETH BEASLEYTimes-News Correspondent

Published: Sunday, May 18, 2014 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, May 16, 2014 at 4:15 p.m.

The potential in the diminutive kettlebell belies its small size: A workout that might take two to three hours in a gym can take just 20 to 30 minutes using a kettlebell.

Sounds like an exaggeration, but as Pavel Stejskal says, a kettlebell workout can kick your butt.

“It’s a serious tool. You can hurt yourself if you disrespect it,” says Stejskal, a kettlebell instructor. “Just five minutes with one shows they’re brutally effective; they dig in deeper.”

The portability and durability of this workout tool became famous in the USSR when soldiers would strap a kettlebell to a tank exterior. The little-handled ball-shaped tools are nearly indestructible.

Originally used by farmers for weighing grain and other crops, the kettlebell, or “girya” in Russian, morphed into a workout tool in the Russian strongman culture.

The first mention of a kettlebell in a Russian dictionary was about 300 years ago.

Within the past 100 years, kettlebells became prevalent in athletic circles and in the Russian army. Many believe this is what gives Russians their strong competitive edge, says Stejskal, for whom the kettlebell is his main strength and conditioning tool.

Stejskal, 49, defected from his native Czechoslovakia where he lived in Prague in 1985 and came to the United States in 1991, having received a degree in manual medicine in Sweden.

He spent 10 years in Boston as a massage therapist working for chiropractors before coming to Western North Carolina in 2001.

He is a lifelong athlete who plays handball and lacrosse, skis and practices martial arts and qi gong.

When he turned 40 in 2005, Stejskal looked for a way to maintain strength. He says he felt like he was “falling apart.”

Turning to the teachings of Pavel Tsatsouline, a USSR-born fitness instructor who has been a major advocate of the kettlebell since the 1990s, Stejskal delved into the workouts but soon found his own preferences as a healer and body worker.

“Applied with strict form and knowledge, it becomes a healing tool,” he says.

For those getting started, he believes it is of vital importance to have a personal instructor who should set up an appropriate program.

Stejskal adds that most instructors are finicky about the form of the workout, but that he is super finicky since he’s coming at it from the perspective of a healer.

For example, a kettlebell swing that’s properly taught can be therapeutic for a bad back because it lubricates and strengthens the spine.

It also can be used safely by those with bad knees, with the approval of a personal doctor.

<p>The potential in the diminutive kettlebell belies its small size: A workout that might take two to three hours in a gym can take just 20 to 30 minutes using a kettlebell.</p><p>Sounds like an exaggeration, but as Pavel Stejskal says, a kettlebell workout can kick your butt.</p><p>“It's a serious tool. You can hurt yourself if you disrespect it,” says Stejskal, a kettlebell instructor. “Just five minutes with one shows they're brutally effective; they dig in deeper.”</p><p>The portability and durability of this workout tool became famous in the USSR when soldiers would strap a kettlebell to a tank exterior. The little-handled ball-shaped tools are nearly indestructible.</p><p>Originally used by farmers for weighing grain and other crops, the kettlebell, or “girya” in Russian, morphed into a workout tool in the Russian strongman culture.</p><p>The first mention of a kettlebell in a Russian dictionary was about 300 years ago.</p><p>Within the past 100 years, kettlebells became prevalent in athletic circles and in the Russian army. Many believe this is what gives Russians their strong competitive edge, says Stejskal, for whom the kettlebell is his main strength and conditioning tool.</p><p>Stejskal, 49, defected from his native Czechoslovakia where he lived in Prague in 1985 and came to the United States in 1991, having received a degree in manual medicine in Sweden.</p><p>He spent 10 years in Boston as a massage therapist working for chiropractors before coming to Western North Carolina in 2001.</p><p>Stejskal teaches kettlebell workouts at Highland Lake Yoga Studio in Flat Rock and as a personal instructor.</p><p>He is a lifelong athlete who plays handball and lacrosse, skis and practices martial arts and qi gong.</p><p>When he turned 40 in 2005, Stejskal looked for a way to maintain strength. He says he felt like he was “falling apart.”</p><p>Turning to the teachings of Pavel Tsatsouline, a USSR-born fitness instructor who has been a major advocate of the kettlebell since the 1990s, Stejskal delved into the workouts but soon found his own preferences as a healer and body worker.</p><p>“Applied with strict form and knowledge, it becomes a healing tool,” he says.</p><p>For those getting started, he believes it is of vital importance to have a personal instructor who should set up an appropriate program.</p><p>Stejskal adds that most instructors are finicky about the form of the workout, but that he is super finicky since he's coming at it from the perspective of a healer.</p><p>For example, a kettlebell swing that's properly taught can be therapeutic for a bad back because it lubricates and strengthens the spine.</p><p>It also can be used safely by those with bad knees, with the approval of a personal doctor.</p><p>“I find the kettlebell better than any kind of weightlifting,” Hendersonville resident Joe Blair says. “Every exercise works your whole body.”</p><p>A retired U.S. Army Colonel and a U.S. Masters swimmer, Blair, 72, adopted a kettlebell workout with Stejskal about six years ago.</p><p>Blair says the kettlebell has “absolutely” enhanced his competitive edge as a swimmer.</p><p>The principles for women and men are the same for a kettlebell workout and, unless you're using a truly heavy kettlebell, muscle gain is not an issue.</p><p>“It's one of the ultimate tools, when combined with knowledge,” Stejskal says. “It's good for speed agility, and explosive strength — that's why athletes like it so much.”</p><p>Stejskal works out about six days a week for a half-hour each day with his kettlebells in sizes 16, 24 and 32 kg (a range of approximately 35 to 70 pounds).</p><p>An average male might start with a 16-kilo kettlebell; a female, with 8 kilos, and up to 16 kilos.</p><p>Stejskal prefers to work out outdoors — and says bare feet are “essential.”</p><p>Blair says their workouts together take place rain or snow, but always outside.</p><p>Standard kettlebell workouts comprise about 30 different moves, with variations and simpler versions for beginners.</p><p>The series called the Turkish Getup uses the kettlebell at a slow pace to impart a slow strength.</p><p>Other kettlebell series use a lighter kettlebell in dynamic drills that develop a quick strength.</p><p>The body type cultivated through a kettlebell regime is the martial arts body, which is lean, muscular, and with the strength and resiliency to anticipate “what's coming.”</p><p>Workouts can be structured based on desired outcome, such as weight loss, general body toning, abdominal strength, etc.</p><p>“Its funny shape challenges unlike a barbell,” Stejskal says. “It really turns on the neuromuscular system.”</p><p>The simple challenge of gripping a kettlebell while using it actually stimulates the muscles. This is because you have to grip hard to hold on to the weight.</p><p>“You notice different tasks in life get easier, like picking up suitcases,” he says.</p>